-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Mychal Bell , a black teenager accused of beating a white classmate and who was the last of the `` Jena 6 '' behind bars , was released from custody Thursday after a juvenile court judge set his bail at $ 45,000 .

Supporters surround Mychal Bell on Thursday after his release at the LaSalle Parish courthouse .

Bell 's release followed an announcement from LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters , who said he would not appeal a higher court 's decision moving Bell 's case to juvenile court .

Wearing a blue striped golf shirt and jeans , Bell walked out of the LaSalle Parish courthouse a week after an estimated 15,000-plus demonstrators marched through Jena -- a town of about 3,000 -- to protest local authorities ' handling of the teens ' case .

`` We do not condone violence of any kind , but we ask that people be given a fair and even chance at the bar of justice , '' the Rev. Al Sharpton said outside the courthouse .

`` Tonight , Mychal can go home , but Mychal is not out of the juvenile process . He goes home because a lot of people left their home and stood up for him , '' he said .

`` Let America know -- we are not fighting for the right to fight in school . We 're not fighting for the right for kids to beat each other . We 're fighting to say that there must be one level of justice for everybody . And you can not have adult attempted murder for some , and a fine for others , and call that equal protection under the law . Two wrongs do n't make one civil right . ''

Demonstrators at last week 's march were protesting how authorities handled the cases of Bell and five other teens accused of beating fellow student Justin Barker .

Many said they were angry that the students , dubbed the Jena 6 , were being treated more harshly than three white students who hung nooses from an oak tree on Jena High School property .

The white students were suspended from school but did not face criminal charges . The protesters said they should have been charged with a hate crime .

Bell 's attorney Lewis Scott said the teen was moved from jail to a juvenile facility earlier Thursday .

Walters said his decision not to appeal was based on what he believed was best for the victim in the case .

`` While I believe that a review would have merit ... I believe it is in the best interest of the victim and his family not to delay this matter any further and move it to its conclusion , '' Walters told reporters . Watch the Rev. Al Sharpton discuss the teen 's release ''

He said last week 's march , which included Sharpton and Martin Luther King III , did not influence his decision .

Bell , now 17 , was the only one of the Jena 6 behind bars . His bond previously was set at $ 90,000 .

A district judge earlier this month tossed out Bell 's conviction for conspiracy to commit second-degree battery , saying the matter should have been handled in juvenile court . The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal in Lake Charles , Louisiana , did the same with Bell 's battery conviction in mid-September .

Prosecutors originally charged all six black students accused of being involved in beating Barker with second-degree attempted murder and conspiracy . Walters reduced charges against at least four of them -- Bell , Robert Bailey Jr. , Carwin Jones and Theo Shaw -- to battery and conspiracy .

Bryant Purvis awaits arraignment . Charges against Jesse Ray Beard , who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime , are unavailable because he 's a juvenile .

Wednesday , Gov. Kathleen Blanco announced that Louisiana State Police officers will protect the families of the Jena 6 and investigate any threats they have received . A white supremacist Web site posted the names and addresses of the six black teens after last week 's march , calling on followers to `` let them know justice is coming . ''

Thursday , the FBI said it had been made aware of allegations of threats .

`` Threats are taken seriously , and as these investigations are ongoing we can not comment further , '' said Sheila Thorne of the FBI 's office in New Orleans , Louisiana .

The December 4 attack on Barker came after months of racial tension , including at least two instances of fighting in the town , sparked originally when three white teens hung the nooses .

Walters has said there was no direct link between the hanging of the nooses and the schoolyard attack , and defended the prosecutions ahead of last Thursday 's peaceful march . Blanco defended the prosecutor Wednesday , saying , `` He has a solid record and is highly respected among his peers . ''

Walters also addressed the stress and notoriety the town has been subjected to , saying the only way he and other residents `` have been able to endure the trauma that has been thrust upon us is through the prayers of the Christian people who have sent them up in this community . ''

He also suggested that some kind of `` disaster '' was averted when thousands of marchers came to Jena last week .

`` I firmly believe and am confident of the fact that had it not been for the direct intervention of the Lord Jesus Christ last Thursday , a disaster would have happened , '' Walters said .

`` The Lord Jesus Christ put his influence on those people , and they responded accordingly , '' he said , without explaining exactly what he meant .

Soon after the district attorney spoke , a local reverend took issue with his comments .

`` Obviously , we are serving two different gods here , '' the Rev. Donald Sidley said . `` My Bible says that we should do -- we should be loving , love your neighbor as yourself .

`` For him to try and separate the community like he is and then using Christ Jesus to influence the people that Jesus is working on their side , well , that 's -- that 's absurd . ... God is god of the human race , '' said Sidley , of the New Evergreen Church . E-mail to a friend

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Bell released from custody after juvenile court judge sets bail at $ 45,000

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Prosecutor wo n't appeal ruling in Bell case

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Bell and five other black teens are accused of beating white student Justin Barker

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Beating followed white students hanging nooses from a tree on school grounds